Checker brick



Patented Junei8, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS-STEIN, OF MINNPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

. CHECKER BRICK.

Application led August 22, 1924, Serial N'o.- 733,642l

This invention relates to new and useful improvements 1n the design 'for checkerbricks such as arecommonly -iised in the con.

other buildings for cooking, heating and` various other uses, "gas is evolved oi-,generated from the reduction or decomposition of steam passing through an incandescent fuel bed, such as coke. The gasthus generated is then passed through va heated carburetor and'enriched up to a desired calorific quality by the introduction of a suit-` able enriching fluid, 'which is generally sprayed or atomized into the top of the carburetor by suitable well known means. As the gas from the generator and the enriching fluid pass through the heated checkerbricks of the carburetor, they become thoroughly mixed, thereby forming a gaseous mixture which is passed. through a device commonly known as a superheater, wherein the mixture of the two elements become permanently united in the formation of a commercial gas, which may then be discharged into a suitable receiving means for 'subsequent use.

Ordinary checker-bricks such as are. commonlyemployed in gas-generating machines at the present time, are usually of rectangular cross-section, and therefore oHer considerable resistance tothe flow of gases passing therethrough with a resultant decrease in the amount of gas made per unitof time, and which, therefore, tends to decrease the etliciency of such apparatus.

The novel design of the improved form of checker-brick featured in this invention is .such that the resistance to the ilow of gases through the structure will bel lessened. Such lessening of resistance to the flow of gas, is vt grammatic representation of a gas making apparatus such as is commonly employed in accomplished by shaping the checker-bricks in such a manner as to practically eliminate therefrom all flat surfaces and corners, thus providing in effect, a brick having a body substantially stream lined in cross-section. Also by the reduced resistance offered to flow by the employment of streamline checkerbricks in such structures, the number of bricks used in a given machine may be increased without increasing the back pressure or resistance to flow therethrough, with a resultant increase in the'heat-'storage capacity, and therefore elliciency thereof. Converse- 1y,by the use of-a given number of streamlinechecker-bricks in a ga's producer,v the resistance offered to the flow of`gases therethrough will be reduced'to the extent that ythe output thereof will be substantially increased, A

The object of this invention therefore is to provide an improved checker-brick. A further-and morespecitic object of' the invention is to provide a checkenbric'k having a body substantially stream-lined in cross/section thereby reducing resistance to flow, and the body thereof beingl of such size as vto maintain ample heat-storagev capacity to effect thorough mixing and vaporization of the gases in passing through the structure.

Other objects of the invention will appear lfrom the' following description and the accon'ipanying drawings, and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the drawings, there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of theinvention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to t the exact features shown, as various changes may be made withinthe scope of thel claims which follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representatie@ of a gas producing apparatus, showing my vinvention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional View showing the general outline and the arrangement of` the checker-bricks in the carburetorand i? Figure 4 is 'a similar view showing the arrangement of the checker-bricks in the superheater.

In the selected` embodiment ofthe invention here shown, there isl illustrated a diathe manufacture of carbureted water gas. This apparatus comprises a generator 5 having the usual grate bars 6 mounted therein for supporting the incandescent fuel bed 7,'

usually of coke. Thel usual steam nozzle .8 is shown beneath the grate, and from this nozzle steam is introduced into the charn- *35 centrar the" bricks/lair bei' or ash-pit 9 and upwardly passes through the fuellbed 7, as indicated by thearrows, which transformswit into a form-fof' gas. 'lliis-qrs then pass f'omthc'generator tbl-oughta, 1 1

12, hei/t '1b 1s\;e quality ons ,l t a suitable carbu nozzle 13, as sli/owy bricks 14 ari/:,/afnge (xv throughtlieclieclte heater 1G Oughly yltii )ed thereby/,profit f Z form off/:checker gas producing ,machine f .gas/li through v;,stream-'lined is meant "gs/u acefis y'of/fsuch shape-as /z'istf esista/nce tothe passage f thereover 'having no 1 iterrupt/ing said flow, 'e 4of tltefbrick'approaching practicafllmfmeeting at the -t b .f Figure 3 shows n lined bricks as ary,',pfairgetf'(viti, 'rm of carburetor here *shown Itwvill be/notedctlat the Widest edge 17 /fijck/s/fare 'directed against the flovvfiofytihegtagas/i/ndicated by the arrows. Figureiij yslioyvs, /t/ e yprferred arrangement "of the hri'cksfritlyir the superheater. Here, in/like nianne/'rf//fthe enlarged edges 18 of "directed against th'e. flow bf 155mg f, f

The checker-bricks 14 ofthe carburetor Vare preferably, each provided With a flattened-edge portion or face 19, adapted to be seated against the adjacentupper edges 17 of the bricks in the neXt lower layer of bricks. ,rk/similar.flattenedgzdge portion 21 is Ialso/provided on each-` of the enlarged edges 18 of the checker bricks 15 of the superheater, and'this flattenedfface, in like manner, is adapted to be seated against the.

adjacent bricks of each'- superposed layer.

The bricks are preferably arranged in. layers w1th1n the gas-producing machines in checkered or reticulatedl form7` as areach layer lpreferablybeingvarr'angecl in in, a flow of gas, using the Werd gas in l/cifao's/s-section, unt/ gfffresistance 'ticularly 4shown inFigure 2, the bricksof sistance offered to the flow'y of such gas.

The advantages, therefore, in the use of streamline 'shapedA checker-bricks in Water gas machines, will at once be obvious to anyone famili-ar with' the'true vprinciple of 'lstream-line.. Actual experiments and tests l .lj/Iliade with water-gas machinesJ employing stream-lined checker bricks, have proven that Wit'hf'ar given number -ofbricks per Ina- T5 chine, greater-lfheat-storage and -oil cracki lng facilities ,canbe obtainedwithdess back pressure or resistancathan can possibly be tained whei'l/'using vthe ordinary type of iecker-bri'cks/ yhaving square er. rectangular cross-sections.` Suclrtests have also shown m'arked'freduction in the, consumption 'of generatory fuel/and; enriching liid required y,inthemanufacture of Water gas,l and as a result ,off/ stream-'line shaped brick havln'g ul/dstantifallyno lcorners orviiat surfaces, the /p/ortunigies for carbon accumulation ileretoi'ftvil aconslderably reduced, with resultantfprolonging of the life and therefore rusefulness ofthe bricks. 'F rom the foregoing, therefore, it Will readily be seen that by the use of thisnovel form of checker-brick in conjunction with Water-gas machines, of ordinary construction, such as carburetors, superheaters, and the "like, the efficiency of such machines will be considerably increased. Not only are the stream-line shaped checker-bricks applicable to Water/gas apparatus, but to oil gas apparatus aswell, and to heatv recuperative install/ations of various sorts Where regeneration;'takes place by means of 4a checkering arrangement of the bricks. In the latter case it will be possible t utilizel greater recuperative capacity and atthe same time reduce thel amount of' energy required to pass gases through such recuperators orregenerators. Having thus described my invention What I claim as new'and desire to secure by Let- 110 ters Patent, is:

1. In a checker-brick devicej for gas producers comprising a plurality of checkerbricks. arranged-in superposed reticulated l form and'each brick being substantially 115 stream-lined in cross-section' to reduce re, sistance to iiow therepast.

2. In a checker-brick device for gas pro" ducers comprising a plurality of checkerbricks, each checker-brickhaving a -substa'n7 |20 tially stream-lined cross-section whereby the 4heat-storage capacity ofthe bricks maybe# maintained and the resistance to gaseous v flow reduced, thereby to increase the output of the gas producer. l -12 3. In a checker-brick device for gas roducers comprising ya plurality of checkerbricks, e'achfbrick having a substantially stream-lined cross-section to reduce resist-- ance to flow therepast, and wherebyk the `number of bricks inv a givenl mchine may 5. 'In a checkenbriclr device comp-risin l5 'be increased to increase the heat-'storage caa plurality of elongated checker-bricks, vvsei pacity thereof without. increasing the reslstancelor back pressure through said' mae.' A54:. In .a checker-brick device` comprising a. =plurality of checker-bricks, said lbricks 10 stantially parallel spaced relation to form elongated and substantially stream@ in cross-section and arrangedin subn plurality" rposed a isposed with relation to the bricks of the of superposed layers, each suadgacentupper an'dl lower layers. f

yer having its bricks angularly checkerbri-cks arranged in substantially* parallel spaced relation to form' a 'reticug' lated structure.l f superposed layers, the

bricksof each layer being stream-lined in cross-section--and angularly disposed with relation to thejbricks of the adjacent upper yand lowerv layers, and one edge of each brick being rlativelyattened to'seat upon the bricks of the layerbelow;

In witness whereof, I' have' hereunto set" my hand this 26th day of May, 1924, y

i c D O-UIS STEIN, 

